Extension ladders, or telescoping ladders, usually have two side rails and multiple steps or rungs fixed between the two side rails. The two or more ladder sections, referred to as a base section and a fly section, can be slid longitudinally apart on the side rails to extend the fly section above the base section, or the sections can slide together over one another for convenient storage. When slid apart, the rungs of the fly section are significantly more forwardly disposed than the rungs of the base section. This creates an offset area between the base section and the fly section that must be climbed past when going up or down the ladder. This offset area increases the likelihood of missing a step on a rung in the offset area, when ascending or descending the ladder. Furthermore, when extending a leg to catch the top rung on the base section in the offset area, the bottom rung on the fly section, because it extends further out, can impede the leg or the leg can bump into the bottom rung on the fly section, making it difficult to reach the rung in the base section. A more easily traversable offset area between the base and fly sections of an extension ladder would improve the safety of such ladders.